Recently, heat generation has become a significant issue for electronic devices, because of the increased size of display devices, the increased speed of central processing units (CPUs) of computers, and the like. Therefore, the market requirements for an X5R (operating temperature: −55° C.-+85° C.) multilayer ceramic capacitor; an X7R (operating temperature: −55° C.-+125° C.) multilayer ceramic capacitor; and further, an X8R (operating temperature: −55° C.-+150° C.) multilayer ceramic capacitor, which are capable of securing stable capacitance and reliability at a high temperature for stable operation of an integrated circuit (IC), have increased.
Furthermore, in accordance with the recent trend toward miniaturization, decreased weight, and multi-functionality of general electronic products, a multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) having a compact size, high capacitance, and a resistance to high pressure has been continuously demanded. Therefore, excellent withstand voltage and DC characteristics, in addition to thinness of a dielectric layer, have been considered important features in developing the X5R, X7R, and X8R multilayer ceramic capacitors.
The thinness and resistance to high pressure characteristics of the dielectric layer increase the intensity of an applied electric field, and may deteriorate the DC characteristics and the withstand voltage characteristics thereof. In particular, a fine structural defect due to the thinness of the dielectric layer may have a severe negative influence on the withstand voltage characteristics such as breakdown voltage (BDV), high-temperature insulation resistance (IR), and the like.